Why do I buy my kids toys?

This mess afforded me several hours of peace and quiet.

Why do I continue to buy toys for my kids? Seriously though.

A box from Amazon arrived on the porch the other day. It actually contained a couple of birthday gifts for my eldest. It was a nice sized box. I envisioned myself using it to carry food to a family with a new baby, or to pack full of gifts to take to my family's house on Christmas. So I tossed it down the stairs and into the basement to save for later.

Then my 4-year-old discovered it and kidnapped it into her room. 

From there, she pulled the sides down and made it into a boat. She got out colored pencils and drew all over it. She filled it up with all the junk she keeps hoarded in her room. She spent hours playing with the box. She even invited me to play in her boat with her. 

I had to recycle the box. She'd smashed it all up and it took up 1/3 of the floor space in her room. I had cleaning to do. So I tossed it out.

Today, another couple of packages arrived. One of them had a great quantity of brown packing paper. Again, my child took off with it. She ran through the halls with it. The cats enjoyed the crinkling sound it made when they sat on it. I was going to save it because I might return something that came in the box, but Tim recycled it when he got home from work. 

We went to my parents' house for dinner and my girls, along with my niece, spent most of their time running around and playing with flashlights. They had a blast.

Which brings me back to my point. Why, why, why, do I keep buying toys?

Honestly, I don't even buy that many. My kid is getting one toy, some books, a chair and a game for her birthday. But somehow, they accumulate. Are they reproducing of their own accord now? They litter the house. Tiny pieces are spread all over. I do my best to get rid of toys and games that are broken or neglected. I've seen my friends' houses. I think we have less than most. Yet, I am overwhelmed.

My little one is the worst about it. She doesn't so much play as she spreads all her belongings all over the floor. Rather than playing with her dolls and dollhouse, she took each piece of furniture apart to, and I quote, "See what else I could make from it!" For. Real?!?

I request that you not buy my children anything for their birthday or Christmas. They'd be just as happy with a box, or a pencil. A flashlight, a book, or a long piece of paper. A hug.

I'm boycotting toys. Who's with me?

This post is part of the 30 Day Challenge.

Too long, DID write - Week 2

The quilt was almost a year in the making and the kid has taken 7 years ;)

It's been a really busy week.  It's funny how a kid's birthday can take up quite a bit of time if you let it! We celebrated my eldest daughter's 7th birthday with two parties at our place and also celebrated Thanksgiving with my family. I am full of cake :)

Despite all this, I managed to write every day and actually get quite a bit accomplished. I finished a quilt I started almost a year ago, came up with a new idea for a writing project, cleaned the house, finished reading two books, made enough cake to feed an army and watched the first volume of Outlander. Frankly, it was a great week!

Here's what you missed this week! There have only been five posts since the last Too Long, DID Write, but next week it will even out :)

Day 1 - Homeschooling is for Crazy People Part 1 - I begin a new series and tell about the pros and cons of ALWAYS having your kids around. 

Day 2 - Homeschooling is for Crazy People Part 2 - I divulge the many ways in which homeschooling has the power to completely overtake your life. 

Day 3 - Don't give up, 'cause it'll all work out - In a moment of discouragement, I find hope in a song from my past. 

Day 4 - Faces of Homeschooling - A Call for Input - An idea for an exciting new project hits me and I welcome ideas and questions from my readers. I would love for you to take a look and share your thoughts in the comments!

Day 5 - Book Problems - I struggle to find time to read. I must admit that this post inspired me to sit down and finish a book I've been working on for a while.

Don't forget to share with others who would enjoy and sign up in the sidebar to receive my email updates! Or, follow Too Long, Didn't Write on Facebook, if that's your thing. 

Have a great week! 

This post is part of the 30 Day Challenge.

Book Problems

I love reading. It's a great way to spend time.

The trouble is, I'm not made of money. So instead of buying all the books that I want to read, I check them out from the library. The problem with this is that popular books have lots of holds on them, so I often have to wait in line for quite a while until it's my turn to borrow the book.  I don't mind the waiting. I've actually developed more patience over time.

What's unfortunate with this system is that it always seems that all of my holds become available at the same time. Once a hold is available, I have one week to pick it up before it's someone else's turn. Therefore I usually pick my books up as soon as I can after getting the alert that they are ready. Then I only have three weeks to read the books before they are due back.

Here's a picture of all the books I have checked out from the library right now.

I've been waiting for some of them for months. They will all be due back soon, and I'm not even close to finishing them all. I suppose I could just keep them until I am done, but that would rack up some fines pretty quickly. When there are so many books that I want to read, I have a hard time focusing on just one and reading it to completion.  I try to read in the afternoon while the kids are having quiet time or watching TV, or after they have gone to bed. Even still, it can be hard to find time to read everything. My goal for this month is to read four books. I've finished one (I read the second Harry Potter book aloud to the kids) and I am halfway through about three.

So many books, so little time.

The opposite problem is one that I often have as well. Free time to read, but nothing that I want to read.

It's a tough life.

For Christmas, just get me Amazon gift cards so I can download some Kindle books. Kindle books are great because I can read them comfortably in the dark, in bed, all curled up under a blanket, without bothering Tim. Also, you can get me some more quiet reading time.

Perhaps I should spend more time reading and less time talking about not having enough time to read all the books I want.

How do you find time to read?

What are you reading now?

Do you buy your books or go to the library?

This post is part of the 30 Day Challenge. 

Faces of Homeschooling - A Call for Input

Today was a busy day. I spent the day cleaning house and preparing for my daughter's birthday party.  My feet are throbbing. 

Why cleaning the floors before a party is a silly idea.

I did have a moment of inspiration in the chaos.  I've always enjoyed learning about what others do during the day, whether at home with their children or at their jobs.  When I meet someone who has a job I'm unfamiliar with, I have lots of questions. I want them to walk me through a day in their life. I like to hear about the specific tasks of different jobs.  

I thought it would be fun to write a series of posts in which I interview people about what they do. Since I am part of a large network of homeschoolers,  I think I'll start with interviewing different homeschooling families to peek into their lives.  I know families who are just getting started and others who have graduated all their children. I know families who run a business on the side and others who are home with a houseful of children all day. There are many different faces of homeschooling. In fact, I think that's the perfect name for this series. Faces of Homeschooling. Down the road, I'd enjoy writing about Faces of other areas as well. 

I already have several homeschooling families who are ready to share their stories. What questions do you have for these homeschooling moms? What are you curious about? I need my readers' help with this project!

•  If you're part of a homeschooling family who would like to be featured on my blog, I would love to talk to you!
• If you have questions about homeschooling in general or are wondering about the specifics of how other families go about it, please leave your questions in the comments! 

I'm excited to see where this journey leads.

This post is part of the 30 Day Challenge.